St. Gertrude Chicago

All are Welcome

1420 W. Granville, Chicago, IL 60660

773.764.3621

stgertrude1420@stgertrudechicago.org

www.stgertrudechicago.org

Bulletin for Sunday, November 26, 2023

Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

From Fr. Mike Gabriel

Feast of Christ the King

Today we end the Church’s liturgical calendar with the Feast of Christ the King. It seems to me that this feast has lost some of its luster. I have been pondering this lately. Maybe it is because of the title "king" and "queen"; kings and queens are better known through storybooks and fairy tales.

I think we saw this with the coronation of King Charles in England this past year. They scaled down the pageantry. More and more people are questioning the relatability and need for a royal family.

The Feast of Christ the King is more than a fairytale. It is interesting that Christ the King in Matthew's Gospel is portrayed as a stern king and judge, but the image shouldn’t be over-emphasized. Ezekiel, in the first reading, has a gentler image, that of a good shepherd who, while caring for his sheep in his flock, shows particular care for the weak and wounded ones. This image Christ himself used to describe his person and mission. As followers of Christ, let us show who our King is by giving service to others.

Synod Event

We have a special event this Tuesday, November 28 about the Church's Synod of Synodality. Heidi Schlumpf, Senior Correspondent at the National Catholic Reporter, will be interviewed by Michelle Nickerson, a Loyola professor. More information is outlined in an article about the event further down in the bulletin.

Giving Tree

Donations for Christmas are being accepted now. Boxes are set up by the Blessed

Mother altar. Please see the article in the bulletin for more information.

Relic Missing

On a sad note, in putting away relics that St. Gertrude’s has had on display since November 1, we discovered that one of the relics has disappeared. If anyone knows anything or knows where it might be, please return it or let us know.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Day Mass is at 9:00 am - please note the incorrect time was list in last weekend's bulletin

We hope Thanksgiving Day is a wonderful one for you and your loved ones.

We are so grateful for our wonderful parishioners and neighbors who make our neighborhood and city a better place. And we thank those that are able to volunteer their time at St. Gertrude. We are so lucky to have you!

The rectory office will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, November 23 and Friday, November 24. Mass on Thanksgiving will be held at 9:00 am (please note the time has been corrected) and 7:30 am on Friday. 

Additionally, there are no Religious Ed classes on Sunday, November 26.

A Thanksgiving Day Prayer

Loving God,

who created and sustains the universe,

who loved us all into being,

and who gives us every good thing,

we thank you for the blessings

that you bring into our lives.

We thank you for the gift of life itself,

which you gave us in our mothers' wombs.

We thank you for the fresh start of each new day,

which is a sign of your renewing and creative love.

And we thank you for our friends, our families,

our neighbors and our coworkers,

whose human love is an image of your divine care.

Increase our gratitude this Thanksgiving Day,

and help us to recognize all the good things

that we have, both large and small.

And magnify our desire to share

what we have with others,

so that they too may be

grateful to you, Loving God.

~ Father James Martin, SJ

Order From St. Gertrude’s Annual Greenery Sale! In-Person Sales Begin This Sunday

St. Gertrude will once again host our annual Christmas greenery sale, with a limited number of balsam pine trees, wreaths, and garland available for purchase. Our Christmas greenery sale is a great opportunity for parishioners to get ready for the holidays while supporting St. Gertrude ministries. 

Each 6’ Christmas tree is $55. Three different sized wreaths are available—the 18” wreath is $25, the 24” is $272, and the 36” is $35. Garland is also available for $40 per 5’ length. 

Order Online

Buyers can purchase greenery online at https://bit.ly/StGertsChristmasGreenery or by scanning the QR code.

Order via Paper Form

A paper order form is available for download at https://stgertrudechicago.org/christmas-greenery or in the print bulletin.

Forms and checks or cash can be dropped off at the Rectory office, 1420 W. Granville Ave or placed in the mail slot in the side (west) red door next to the Rectory side yard if the Rectory office is closed. Orders can also be sent to NCA to the attention of Eduardo Soto.

Checks should be made out to St. Gertrude. Please note "Greenery" in the memo line. 

Deliveries

Deliveries will be offered for a $6 fee. They will take place on Saturday, December 2 and Saturday, December 9 from 9:00 am-11:00 am, and Thursday, December 7 and Thursday, December 14 from 6:00-8:00 pm. The greenery team will do their best to accommodate your preferred delivery date and will reach out to notify you when to expect your order. 

Please note, the boundaries for deliveries are north to Oakton, south to Irving Park, and east of the North Shore Channel.

In-Person Sales Start This Weekend

Greenery will also be sold at the playlot on the west side of the Social Hall, 1401 W. Granville Avenue on Sunday, November 26, Sunday, December 3, Sunday, December 10, and Sunday, December 17 from 11:30 am-1:00 pm. Only cash and checks will be accepted for in-person purchases.

Questions? Contact St. Gertrude Business Manager Eduardo Soto at esoto@stgertrudechicago.org or call the Rectory at 773.764.3621.

Care for Real Food & Supply Drive is This Weekend/Asylum Seeker Supply Drive is December 2-3

Our next donation drive will be before/after the masses on Saturday, November 25 and Sunday, November 26. Items needed for neighbors and asylum seekers include:

• Baby wipes
• Diapers sized 4-6
• Pull-ups
• All toiletries
• Menstrual pads
• Ready-to-eat items like granola bars, tuna or chicken salad cracker packs, individual milk boxes

Next weekend, December 2-3, is our supply drive for asylum seekers at the Broadway Armory, who are also being helped by Care for Real. The top request from CFR is more winter gear: stretchy gloves, hats, scarves, hand warmers, and new/gently used coats.  

Their clients also are in desperate need of: 

Toiletries

• Shampoo/conditioner
• Body wash
• Body wipes
• Deodorant
• Toothbrushes
• Hand soap
• Razors
• Lotion

Baby care items 

• Diapers (all sizes)
• Pull ups (all sizes)
• Baby wipes

We appreciate your generosity!

Giving Tuesday is Next Week

Next Tuesday, November 28 is Giving Tuesday, a global day dedicated to giving back. People all over the world celebrate the true reason behind this holiday season, showing generosity, compassion, and love to those less fortunate. 

St. Gertrude is a parish that is truly dedicated to helping others. Whether it be through reaching out to teens through our youth group, caring for our seniors with our Heart to Heart program, collecting food for Care for Real, or committing to sponsoring a refugee family, our community of faith shows love to others every single day. 

If you are inspired to take part in this day-long donation campaign, please consider supporting St. Gertrude and making a donation here.

Every donation will make a difference!

Thank you!

Let’s Talk about the Synod! Discussion Planned for Tuesday, November 28

St. Gertrude’s Parish is hosting an educational event for members interested in learning more about the Synod on Synodality that took place last month at the Vatican. Michelle Nickerson, a history professor at Loyola, will interview fellow parishioner, Heidi Schlumpf, about the gathering in Rome, which Schlumpf covered as Senior Correspondent at the National Catholic Reporter, Q and A and discussion will follow. 

All are welcome to join them on Tuesday, November 28th in the Social Hall at 7:00 pm. Wine and cheese will be served. 

RCIA Rite of Welcoming and Acceptance - Sunday, December 3



On Sunday, December 3rd at the 10:30 am Mass, our church will celebrate the Rite of Welcoming and Acceptance for RCIA members:

• Jenna Marie Rawski
• Adrean Alexis Herrera
• Ilse Alejandra Vielma
• Victoria Anne Braucher Bussey
• Salwa Fadhil

Through the Rite, the church welcomes those who have been baptized in another faith or baptized Catholic as a child but never catechized in the Catholic faith, into the process of full communion with the Church.

The Rite of Acceptance recognizes the Catechumen's decision to begin the process of becoming a member of the Catholic Church through Baptism, First Communion, and Confirmation.

Feast of the Immaculate Conception - Friday, December 8

We will celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on Friday, December 8.

Mass will be held on Thursday, December 7 at 6:30 pm, and on Friday, December 8 at 7:30 am, 8:30 am, and 6:30 pm. 

The rectory office will be closed.

Next Youth Group Activity is Saturday, December 9

Teens in the parish in 7th grade and up are invited to attend our next parish youth group event on December 9 at 1:00 pm in the Ministry Center! We will make Christmas cards for the vulnerable.

Snacks will be served!

Worldwide Candle Lighting for the Loss of a Child - Sunday, December 10

The Elizabeth Ministry of Queen of All Saints parish will host the annual Compassionate Friends Worldwide Candle Lighting service on Sunday, December 10th at 6:45 pm in the basilica, 6280 N. Sauganash Avenue, Chicago.

The Compassionate Friends is an organization supporting grieving families in all fifty states and across thirty countries. Every second Sunday in December, families and friends around the globe unite in lighting candles to honor the memories of children of any age who have died, at any time, for any reason. Everyone is welcome to participate in this non-denominational service of prayer and music as we remember children who have gone too soon. The service will also be live-streamed on our parish website.

Email elizabethministry.qas@gmail.com with questions, or to request the name of a loved one to be read during the service. Find more information about The Compassionate Friends organization and grief support at compassionatefriends.org.

Find more information about Queen of All Saints at www.qasparish.org.

Parish Pastoral Council News: Greeters Wanted/Next Meeting is December 13

The parish council is getting a Welcoming Committee up and running to foster a sense of hospitality, ensuring that every parishioner, both longstanding and new, feels a genuine connection to our faith community. We are starting the committee by looking for GREETERS to welcome those into church. If you are interested, please contact Tim Love at tim.1love@gmail.com.

The next parish pastoral council meeting will be on Wednesday, December 13 at 7:00 pm in the Ministry Center.

St. Gertrude's Giving Tree Program

The Giving Trees are in the back of Church. We will again be asking for gift cards, rather than gifts. This allows flexibility for individuals to get what they need. The benefactors of the Giving Tree collections will be Care for Real and the St. Gertrude Refugee and Immigrant Ministry.

Care for Real is asking for gift cards in $20.00 increments to Target, Jewel, and Walmart. They are also asking for Ventra passes. The Refugee Ministry is requesting $20 gift cards to Target. We are also asking for $10 McDonald’s gift cards to provide immediate meals for those who request them.

There are two boxes at the front of church, by the statue of Mary. One will be for Care for Real and one for the Refugee Ministry. Please place your gift cards into whichever organization you would like to support. The McDonald’s gift cards can be placed in either box. The last chance to donate gift cards will be Sunday, December 17 at noon.

We hope that in this most joyous of seasons you will be able to support the Giving Tree program. Each gift card will allow others to be able to have a blessed and happy Christmas celebration.

If you have any questions, please reach out to the Giving Tree Program coordinator Joe McMahon at jpmgmu@aol.com or at 708.525.5051.

7th & 8th Grade Students Invited to Participate in our Essay Contest

Students in the 7th and 8th grade are invited to take part in our annual essay contest. Participants should write an essay in response to this question: What is your role as a Christian Catholic to obtain world peace?

Entries should be 500-600 words. Spelling and grammar count!

The top three winners will receive gift cards and have their essays published online and in the bulletin.

Entries must be submitted online or postmarked by Monday, December 18, 2023. Email essays (preferred method) to eescamilla@stgertrudechicago.org or mail them to Eloy Escamilla, 1420 W. Granville, Chicago, IL 60660. 

Christmas Eve Pageant at 5:00 pm Mass: Children & Adults Needed

As is our tradition during the Gospel at the Christmas Eve 5:00 pm Family Mass, the kids from St. Gertrude parish will act out the Christmas story.

We are looking for children ages 5 and older to participate in this charming production, and adults to help organize or be part of the event. 

Contact me at eescamilla@stgertrudechicago.org if you and/or your children are interested in being a part of this special Mass. Thank you!

~ Eloy Escamilla

Growing in Faith

So, are you a sheep or a goat? 

Each time I read and reflect on Matthew’s rich and profoundly moving parable of the Last Judgment, I find myself wondering where I will find myself “when all the nations will be assembled.” Of course, I want to be identified as a sheep. Only in popular culture today, does someone want to be a G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time.) 

What separates the sheep from the goats? From a reading of the Gospel passage, neither the sheep nor the goats see that it is Jesus whom they are encountering when they either reach out to or turn away from those who are broken, hurting, alienated, marginalized, imprisoned, or oppressed. Both the sheep and the goats reply, with an element of surprise and wonder, in their shared blindness.

Gerard Manley Hopkins, the Jesuit priest and poet, wrote: “Christ plays in ten thousand places,/lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his….” It is precisely because those identified as sheep instinctively sense that every person is imbued with the life of the Divine, that every person is of immense value, that all, as Thomas Merton exclaimed, “are shining like the sun,” that they respond with compassionate love. 

As we come to the end of this year of grace, we look with hope for the coming of Jesus the Christ. May we see his appearance in the faces of our sisters and brothers, in the cry of all who yearn for compassion, healing, hope, justice, and love. “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for the least of my brothers and sisters, you did it for me.” Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!

~ Bob Backis

Meet our New Parish Pastoral Council Member, Krista Chinchilla-Patzke!

I have been a parishioner at St. Gertrude since moving to Rogers Park with my family. I am originally from Guatemala and was raised in Southern California. My husband and I met on the East Coast, where we both studied theology and ministry.

Having prayed at many parishes across the country, St. Gertrude instantly became the community we could call our spiritual home. We fell in love with the Sunday liturgy: the energy, preaching, music, and other parishioners gave us a sense of belonging.

As a member of the Parish Pastoral Council, I hope to continue creating spaces where each parishioner and member of the neighborhood can grow around the table of the Lord. Outside of my ministry at St. Gertrude, I serve as the Liturgy Coordinator at Old St. Pat's.

ECRA Thanksgiving Recap



About 375 hope-filled people shared in the 2023 Annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Celebration sponsored by the Edgewater Community Religious Association (ECRA) last weekend. 

This year, it was hosted at the Ismaili Jamatkhana at Rosemont and Broadway. The event was a marvelous community-building gathering and as always served to help raise support for Care for Real.

Rest in Peace

• Constance "Connie" Chiumino
• James J. White, Jr., brother of Mary Ann Goode
• Nicholas Nardella, brother of John Nardella

Ministers of the Word

• Saturday, November 25 at 5:00 pm - Patrick Reardon, Susan McKean
• Sunday, November 26 at 8:00 am - Art Lyons, David Sullivan
• Sunday, November 26 at 10:30 am - Rose Karasti, Mary Clare Barker

Eucharistic Ministers

• Saturday, November 26 at 5:00 pm - Tim Harrington
• Sunday, November 26 at 8:00 am - Hallie Burhoe
• Sunday, November 26 at 10:30 am - Bob Backis, Maria Ugarte, Carlos Barragan

Cantors and Musicians

• Saturday, November 25 at 5:00 pm - Denise Goodman
• Sunday, November 26 at 8:00 am - Kathryn Flynn
• Sunday, November 26 at 10:30 am - Michael Callahan

Altar Servers

• Sunday, November 26 at 10:30 am - Dominic Rubino, Abby Thomson; Wyatt Dant, Chimamanda Okoye, Acolytes

Upcoming Mass Intentions

• Monday, November 27: 7:30 am - Purgatorial Society
• Tuesday, November 28: 7:30 am - Living and deceased parents of St. Gertrude parishioners
• Wednesday, November 29: 7:30 am - Norman H. Linke+
• Thursday, November 30: 7:30 am - Communion Service
• Friday, December 1: 7:30 am - Kelly Barone+
• Saturday, December 2: 7:30 am - People of God; 5:00 pm - Sheila McGuire+
• Sunday, December 3: 8:00 am - People of God; 10:30 am in church -Bernice Kiedysz+; 10:30 am Gym Mass - Janice Nelson Marrs+

If you would like to add a name to the prayer list, please contact the Rectory at 773.764.3621 or email stgertrude1420@stgertrudechicago.org. Names will remain on the list for three weeks. After that time, please renew the name using same contact information.